Home
by ebyars2
Summary: Chloe's been gone for three years in London. She needed time and space to sort out everything. And she couldn't do that with a certain blond Brit around. She's over her mother's and Brian's deaths and now she's finally ready. Ready to make a fresh start. Ready to come back to her family. Ready to come home.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic so please be nice(: I hope you guys like it.**

** -Em**

**CHAPTER ONE**

**Chloe POV**

I sighed as I buckled my seatbelt on the airplane. I was flying home to San Fran after a good long 3 years of being gone in London. I needed to get away from it all. I loved Valentina and Jasmine and Alek with all my heart. They were my true family. My Mai family. And I loved them so much it hurt—I would hurt physically for them. I would die for them—as many times as it took.

The truth was… I missed them. They were my true family after my mom… well, after everything that happened all those years ago. I still am shaking my head at myself for just leaving them like I did. But I had my reasons. I needed to get out of there—I needed some time and space. Time to think. Time to get my priorities straight. Time to work everything out in my head. And I couldn't think clearly and solve everything I needed to being near Alek. He was too close to me. He could read me like a book. He knew every thought I had at the exact moment I had it, just by simply looking at my face. I didn't just miss THEM. I missed HIM. I wanted to see him so badly I was aching. Sounds crazy, I know. You have no idea how many times I've considered myself to be crazy. But if I was being completely honest with myself, I had loved him from the moment he cornered me in the halls at school three years ago. I had fallen hopelessly and rapidly in love with Alek Petrov…

I shook myself out of my thoughts as the chief pilot announced we were making our descent into San Francisco International Airport.

Jasmine was picking me up at the airport, alone. Valentina had a meeting with the New York Mai leader and she was going to be gone for at least a week. And Alek… Alek didn't know I was coming home.

Home. _Wow, _I thought. _I'm really going __**home**__. After all this time of being away from my loved ones and family, I finally get to see them again._ I didn't realize I was crying until I looked into my lap and saw dark spots on my jeans. I quickly wiped the tears away and checked my makeup in my phone screen.

Once I exited the plane, I made my way downstairs to the luggage claim. Halfway does the escalator, I heard a shriek.

"CHLOE!" My head snapped up to see Jasmine jumping up and down with the biggest smile on her face that I'd ever seen.

"Jaz!" I grinned. I sighed as I stepped off the escalator and ran to meet her.

We both started crying as soon as we were in each others' arms.

"I have missed you… So. Much." Jasmine cried.

_That doesn't help me, Jaz._ I thought as more tears trailed down my cheeks. "I've missed you too. You have no idea how much I wanted to come home sooner. But I couldn't. I needed time but not anymore. I've had all the time away from you all that I ever want."

"Good," She smiled through her tears. "I'm glad to hear that. We want you home with us. Not running all over the world without a word of your location."

"Hey," I said as Jaz grabbed my suitcases and we began walking toward the exit. "It was just one time. I took a weekend trip to France. A girl's gotta get out sometimes."

We laughed as we walked across the street to the car. The day was perfect. Slightly cloudy, a perfect 75 degrees. _Home_.

"But I'm sorry for not calling and letting you know that I was going to be out of England."

Jasmine raised her eyebrows. "You better be sorry. You have no idea how much we panicked. We were worried. Really worried, Chloe."

"I know," I looked down at my feet as we stuffed the bags in the trunk "I'm sorry."

"It's all forgiven now." She smiled. "Come on, let's go home."

I smiled. "Okay."

I sighed as I looked out the passenger window. I saw the Golden Gate through the fog across the bay. I hadn't realized how much I had missed this place. I was here.

Home.

**So that's it. My first fanfic. :D Please R&R! Let me know what you have in mind for where the story could go. PM me if you have ideas for other stories too. :) Thanks again, guys! **

** -Em**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter 2! I know… 2 chapters in one day. But. I am super dooper excited about starting my own fanfiction so I'm wanting to write as much as I can while the thoughts are fresh. And another thing is that I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to update. I know that doesn't sound promising from a writer… :( I wish I could say I can definitely give you one or two a week but I can't guarantee that with school, work, and homework… I'll update as much as I can and I'll shoot for one or two chapters a week! Okay, enough talk. Enjoy!**

** -Em**

**Chapter 2**

**Chloe POV**

We walked down the hallway from the elevator. As we rounded the corner, I saw those numbers I missed so much. 18.03. I smiled softly as I remembered the first time I came here with Alek and Jasmine all those years ago.

_Oh._ I wasn't thinking about Alek being here as soon as we got back to the apartment. Yes, I was looking forward to seeing him but it had been three years. And the way I left hadn't been the nicest…

***Flashback***

_I sat at my desk in my mom's old house, writing goodbye letters. I was leaving this place today. Going away to London for a while. I had no idea how long I'd be gone or if I would even ever come back to San Francisco._

_I continued to write the letters to each of my remaining family members. _

_Dear Valentina,_

_ Thank you so much for everything you have done for me. For protecting me, for being like my second mother. I wish I could stay here with you all. I cannot express to you my feelings. I love you so much. You have always been there for me. I just hope I can somehow repay you in some small way someday. That's my hope. I want to make you proud of me. I want to fulfill my duty. But I can't do that right now. I understand my responsibilities as the Uniter but I have to work out a few things before I can unite the races. I'm not mentally or emotionally ready for that task yet. I've been preparing for months physically, but emotionally I was caught completely off-guard. I hope you don't hate me for leaving like this. I wish I could have said goodbye in person, but goodbyes are painful enough without seeing someone face to face. I love you all and I promise to return as soon as I can._

_ Love, Chloe_

_Dear Jasmine,_

_ I love you. You're like my sister. I promise I'll call you as often as I can and that I'll let you know where I am. I just have some things to work out. I wish I didn't have to leave you. I know you're one of my protectors but you're also my friend. I am so grateful and thankful for everything you've done for me. All of the sacrifices you've made for me. I appreciate and I won't ever take for granted those things. I love you so much and I will miss you even more. I promise to call as soon as I'm settled. I'm sure you have an idea of why I'm leaving. I need to cope with all of this. I can't handle a big burden right now. I need to deal and accept everything that's happened. Please don't be mad at me._

_ Love, Chloe_

_Dear Alek,_

_ I wish I didn't have to say this but I need to go. I want you to know before I go that I don't hate you. You're one of my best friends. You've always, always been there for me. Whenever the world was caving in around me, you were the constant in my life these past few months. I know you probably hate me. You probably don't ever want to see me again. But I just need to tell you that I appreciate everything. You have no idea how much you and Valentina and Jasmine all mean to me. You are my family now. And family is forever. I'll miss you. I'll be back soon. I hope you won't hate me for too long._

_ Love, Chloe_

_I left the letters in their mailbox at the apartment complex, each wrapped and labeled for each of them. I drove to the airport and boarded my plane to London. Tears ran down my face as I watched my home, my family, and my heart get left behind in San Francisco._

***Flash-forward***

We walked into the apartment and I immediately though I had traveled back in time. It was exactly as it was before Zane's attack three years ago. Same exact furniture in the exact same places, everything. I heard some rustling coming from the kitchen then a sharp whistle joined in. Someone was cooking dinner and whistling… Sway by Michael Buble?

"Jaz, is that you?" I heard someone call out. There was only one person in the world with that voice and that beautiful British accent. I felt my eyes turn the size of saucers but I quickly remembered where I was and composed myself.

"Yeah, it's me." Jaz called back. "I have a surprise."

"Oh yeah?" A blond head came around the corner and a pair of brown eyes locked onto mine.

"Hi, Alek." I said quietly, smiling softly.

**Alek POV**

It felt like an eternity that I stood there in shock when it was only a few seconds.

"Hi, Chloe." I said.

My body started acting before I knew what had happened, like it was on auto-pilot or something. I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. It felt so good to finally get to hold her again. It had been far too long since I'd seen her.

I heard her heartbeat ringing loudly in my ears. I sighed as I softly rubbed her back.

"How've you been?" I asked as I let her go. I didn't want to but Jaz was still standing there, watching us.

"I've been pretty good. Missing all of you guys but good all the same." She smiled.

She seemed happy. The smile reached her eyes for sure. I was glad she had gotten all the time she needed.

Well at least I hoped she had gotten all the time she needed. It would've killed me if this was just a visit. I couldn't imagine her leaving again—walking out of my life…again. That would kill me. Because even though I had tried to get over her and to forget the effect she had on me, I was still desperately in love with Chloe King.

**Please R&R! I know this was a long chapter but I couldn't really find a good ending spot. I wanted to continue the dialogue but I felt like you guys wouldn't be too happy if I just kept going on and on and on… :P Anyways, I hope you like it. Please review! I need to know people like my story so it's worth continuing. Even just one person will guarantee this story's continuation. Thank you for the support! Love ya'll!**

** -Em**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I just wanted to take a moment to just say thank you for the follows and the review! You have no idea how much of an encouragement that is for a new fanfic writer! :) So thanks a TON! Now here's Chapter Three. :D**

** -Em**

**Chapter 3**

**Chloe POV**

I rolled over as I woke up in the guest bedroom in Valentina's apartment. I had gotten the best sleep I had gotten in a long time. I felt safe. Well, duh. Of course I felt safe. I was finally with my family. More importantly, I was with Alek. Well, in the same apartment as him. No wonder I felt so safe and happy.

I had come home to find Jasmine and Alek happy, healthy and just as I remembered them. All three of us had talked late into the night last night, making small talk. Me and Jasmine had our phone calls every other week while I was gone so me and Alek were the ones catching up. He was going to the University of San Francisco for a business degree right now.

During those three years I was gone, I never could have imagined catching up with Alek would have felt so good. It was the best thing…the closest thing to therapy I had ever experienced. It felt so good just to see him and reconnect.

I also noticed that he kept a close watch on me last night. Anytime I got up to get a refill of my drink or to do anything around the room, I felt his eyes on me. We made eye contact so many times that I couldn't count them. I couldn't begin to describe how happy I was just to be home, to be around Alek again.

I still didn't know for sure if he hated me still or not but I had good reason to hope he didn't. I wanted to talk to him as soon as I could but I wasn't sure how he'd respond.

I decided I'd lain in bed long enough. I threw the covers off, grabbed my clothes, and walked to the bathroom for a shower.

I walked out of the bathroom into the living room to find Alek and Jasmine at the kitchen island eating cereal.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." Alek smirked.

I chuckled. "Morning."

"How'd you sleep?" Jaz asked.

"Great!" I sighed

"Good because we have a busy day."

"Oh yeah?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yep. We're taking you out. You need some fun in San Fran on your first day back. And who better than your protectors?" She gestured between her and Alek.

I looked at her questioningly. "Protectors? Still? If you guys are still my protectors, why didn't you come after me to London?"

Alek and Jasmine both looked into their bowls of cereal. What was I missing? "What?" I asked. "I know there's something you're not telling me."

Jasmine glanced at Alek, who just kept staring at his bowl. "There wasn't really a need to follow you when you left…" Jasmine said quietly.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But you guys didn't know where I was going, how would you have known if there wasn't a need to follow me?"

Jasmine looked up at me. "My mom called around to the different Mai leaders and they sent out Mai to the airports near them. One of them spotted you at the airport in London. We didn't need to follow you because we already knew where you were."

"But that doesn't mean I was safe. I could have been attacked by the Order while I was gone and you guys never would have known. You guys were there protecting…" I stopped midsentence. "They had someone watching me, didn't they? I was being protected and didn't even know it."

Jaz and Alek both looked up at me and nodded slowly.

Well that was aggravating. I hated being protected. And not knowing about it was even worse! Argh!

"I'm gonna go finish getting ready." I slipped off the barstool and half walked, half stomped back into the bedroom, shutting the door loudly behind me.

**Jasmine POV**

"Well, that went well." Alek said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes.

"Let's just hope all is forgiven when she comes back out." I said as I got up, walked to the sink and rinsed out my bowl.

Alek was unusually quiet. I turned around and looked at him questioningly.

"What?" He asked, surprised by my sudden mood change.

"What's up with you? You're never this quiet." I glanced towards the guest bedroom door and lowered my voice. "Is it Chlo?"

Alek went back to pushing his Raisin Bran around the bowl. "I don't know, Jaz… I'm so thrilled and happy that she's home but I just… I don't know."

"Well I know I do." I said triumphantly. "I know exactly what the issue is." I wiped my hands on a towel and tossed it on the counter. "You're in love with her, Alek. You always have been. You never had to tell me, I've known for a long time. Even my mom can see it, too."

At that, his eyes got completely serious, almost deadly. "What? She knows?"

I laughed. "Well it wasn't that hard to figure out. And plus, us girls can tell that kind of stuff right off the bat."

When he didn't respond, I continued. "You need to tell her how you feel. Wait for the right time, of course. But you do need to tell her. And you need to find out how she feels. Clear this whole mess between you two up. It's made you miserable ever since she's been away and now she's back. So get everything out there. Be a man, Alek."

He knew I was giving him a hard time with that last one, he smiled. "Yeah, you're right. I do need to talk to her. Let her know I don't hate her. Tell her how I really feel." He flinched as he said the word 'hate'.

_I wonder why that is…_ I thought but quickly brushed it away.

"Well I gotta go get ready, too." I started towards my room but Alek's voice stopped me.

"Hey Jaz." I turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For the advice and giving me the guts to actually talk to her about it." He flashed a brief smile.

"Sure thing. Anytime." I smiled back at him then went to finish getting ready.

**Alek POV**

Our first stop had been coffee at the old coffee shop connected to the vintage clothing store Chloe used to work at. As we sat there, she had mentioned something about maybe reapplying there. Then we just went for a long walk. Today was just about getting out and seeing San Francisco, letting Chloe see all the old sights again.

The entire time we were out I couldn't help but stare at Chloe. She was gorgeous. I hadn't forgotten one, single detail of her face while she was away. She looked exactly the same as she always had, although her hair did look a bit darker.

I also couldn't help but check her out when she walked in front of me. I mean, can you blame me? She looked amazing. I couldn't believe I had taken seeing her everyday and spending all that time with her before for granted. Never again, I promised myself silently.

We were driving now in my BMW M6, headed to the pier. I couldn't help but glance back at Chloe often. Especially when I heard her laugh, I never wanted to forget that sound, forget how she smiled. I smiled softly as I watched in the rearview.

We got to the pier and the girls decided to visit the crazy hat shop. They'd find so many hats that were utterly ridiculous try them on and take pictures together. They even got me to put on a few.

I tried on a yellow squid hat, one that looked like a giant ice cream cone had been dumped on my head, and another that looked like a shark was biting my head off.

After we left the shop, we found a photo booth. _Oh boy._ I thought to myself, sighing in defeat as I watched the giggly girls climb into the booth. I thought back to the last time I was in a photo booth with Chloe. It was three years ago at the fair. I had kissed her cheek that night. That had been our first date…

We took the pictures with lots of laughs all around. Once they printed, we enjoyed looking at them just as much as actually taking the pictures.

We watched the seals until sunset, talking and reminiscing about the good old days. I was surprised that Chloe hadn't mentioned missing Amy and Paul yet. I found that hard to believe, that she didn't miss them. After that night I remember Amy telling Chloe that she needed some time. She had been pretty badly shaken. Paul was Paul, he was cool. This whole Mai situation held his interest like a cat with a laser pointer. But he followed Amy's lead in the end. I wondered if those three still even talked. I'd ask Chloe later.

I had to talk to her tonight. I just had to find the right time…

**Phew! Finally done with this chapter! I know it's a lot of feelings and description. I prefer dialogue myself but I needed to clear some stuff up. And I'm sorry about ending it before they had "the conversation." I wanted to add it in but I felt I was getting it a bit long anyways. The next chapter will be all Chalek. Promise. :) Please R&R! The reviews give me an idea of what to write next and how to improve my story! Thanks so much guys!**

** -Em**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. Honestly, I'm a little worried about not getting many reviews or follows but it is that it is. Hope you guys like it enough to stay with me!**

** -Em**

**Chapter 4**

**Alek POV**

We arrived back at the apartment around 10 that night. We were all wiped from our day out. Chloe took a barstool at the island while I leaned on the countertop.

"I'd love to stay up and chat guys, but I'm beat." She jabbed her thumb towards the bathroom "I'm gonna get a quick shower…" She yawned, while me and Chloe exchanged a glance and a chuckle.

"Yeah, we got the message, Jaz." I smirked.

Jasmine simply smiled sleepily at us and turned for the bathroom door. She mumbled a goodnight.

"Goodnight, Jaz." Chloe and I called. Jasmine waved behind her back.

Now it was just me and Chloe. I sighed. "Well, what do you want to do? Or do you want to hit the sack too?"

She looked around the apartment while pursing her lips. "Hmmm… We could watch a movie." She suggested, then slowly fought a yawn.

I raised my eyebrows at her skeptically. "You sure you can stay awake that long?"

She laughed. It was a wonderfully pure sound. "Yes I'm sure." She got up only to plop back down on the couch. I smiled. She was cute.

"What would you like to watch?" I asked her.

She squinted her eyes towards the DVD rack. "How about…_She's The Man_?"

"Sure thing." I walked over, pulled in out of its cover and put in the player.

When I sat back down next to Chloe, she brought her knees up into the couch. Even though her back was to me and we weren't touching, it felt amazing being so close to her. Just being around her was intoxicating for me. All I could focus on was her when we were in the same room, everything else faded out and she was the only thing that mattered in the world. Her safety and her heart were mine to protect.

_Whoah, whoah. Hole up there, Petrov. Her __**heart**__? That was going a bit too far._ I couldn't help how I felt, but I did need to restrain my thoughts and myself, I decided.

Even though this was classified as a "chick flick," I couldn't deny the movie was funny. And it wasn't that bad. It was pretty tolerable for a romance film. We laughed so hard throughout the movie until our stomachs hurt. Once the movie finally ended, I got up and put it away.

I turned around to see Chloe smiling tiredly up at me.

"You look tired." I stated as I sat back next to her. She rotated on the couch and laid her head on m shoulder. Even though it was just simple contact, it sent a jolt of energy through my arm down to my fingertips. "So, what now?" I asked quietly.

She didn't respond right away. I wondered if she had fallen asleep, but then she finally spoke up. "I just want to talk."

That took me aback a bit. Did she want to talk, talk? Or did she just want to talk? Were some of the things on my mind on hers too? Had the curiousity and the need for answers finally urged her to start this? I knew that I had needed this conversation for years. I just hoped that we were on the same page. I decided to play it safe, just in case.

"Ok, what do you want to talk about?" I asked.

She sat up, taking her head off of my shoulder. She looked into my eyes then she quickly looked into her hands on her lap.

"I want to talk about…everything. About why I left, about what I put all of you through, about…us?" She shrugged with a questioning look on her face.

I knew she was afraid of how I'd react to the word 'us' but it didn't bother me at all. I was actually really glad we were finally having this talk, getting everything out in the open.

I smiled softly. "You know, that's exactly what I've been wanting to talk to you about. For some time, actually."

She looked up at my words. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah, ever since you left I've wanted answers. I knew you'd come back to us someday. I just had to be patient. And that's not an easy thing for me, you know. Patience…that's not one of my strongest virtues." I teased.

She chuckled at my joking. "The reason I left was a mix of a lot of things. For one, I lost my mom suddenly. I was in no way prepared for that. Losing her took a lot out of me. I felt like someone had taken a hole puncher to my gut. I had a constant hollow feeling in my stomach. I missed her so much and I didn't know how to cope with it in that house…"

I started to interrupt her by saying she could have moved in with us here. She shook her head vigorously.

"No I couldn't have, Alek. After what happened, after what you overheard, you wouldn't have wanted to see me living in the same apartment as you. Which brings me to the second reason I left; I killed Brian. Sure, _he_ kissed_ me_, but I couldn't do anything to stop him. If he had never kissed me, he wouldn't have died. I was the problem in the whole thing. I was the weapon that killed Brian. I took on a lot of guilt after he died. I felt like the whole thing was my fault…"

When I tried to interrupt again, she just held up a hand.

"Please. Let me finish. I need to say this and then you can ask all the questions you want, Alek." She pleaded with me.

I nodded and let her continue.

"Which it was. Everything that has ever happened to you and to Jasmine and to everyone I cared about was all because of me, because of who I am," She started tearing up.

I wanted to reach out to her and hold her, just let her cry her heart out into my shirt, I didn't care. I just wanted to comfort her, to hold her, to be there for her.

"I also left because I needed to sort out everything. I had to sort out my feelings, my emotions, I needed time to cope with everything that happened and I couldn't do that with the pressure of my duties as the Uniter breathing down my neck. I would have snapped and ran away anyways if I had stayed. I needed to cope in my own way. I needed a new place for a while, see new things, make some changes, stuff like that. I wish I hadn't have had to leave. I wish, more than anything, that I could have stayed here with all of you, but I couldn't. And it wasn't just because I felt guilty every time I thought about what happened to Valentina and Jasmine…" She paused and broke her eye contact with me, looking into her lap again.

"I had to leave for another reason. I couldn't be around you when I knew you hated me. Hated me for being friends with Brian. Hated me for what you heard in my house. I knew you'd need time as much as I did, if not more, to think everything through and time to forgive me."

I cringed as she said the word 'hate'. I hadn't hated her. Ever. I wanted to clear that up. Now. That was the one thing that stuck with me all these years. The fact that she thought I hated her when I felt the exact opposite. I loved her, adored her, more than I could even describe. It shouldn't have been allowed how much I cared for her. But wait. She said "for being _friends_ with Brian." So did that mean that she didn't care about him like I cared about her? She didn't love him? _Don't get your hopes up too high, Petrov._

"I had to give you time too. That was the biggest reason I left, the main reason. I just needed to clear everything in my head, to figure out how exactly I would start this conversation, figure out what I needed to say, how I would say it. I'm sorry. For everything. For all the pain I've caused you… and Valentina and Jasmine. I'm so sorry." Now she really was crying.

I pulled her into my chest and buried my face in her hair.

"Shhh…" I soothed as I slowly rocked her, rubbing her back. "I know you're sorry. You've been apologizing since I met you. You have nothing to be sorry for, though. You can't help that you're the Uniter, you can't help that the Order is out there, you have no control over that. It's not your fault. None of it is. I understand that that night took a heavy toll on you. It took a lot on all of us. But you shouldn't have taken on that much responsibility, that much pain and guilt. No one should ever have to take that on, Chloe. You're so brave to have taken that on, but I don't want you to do that ever again. There's no need for that. You have me, you have Jaz, you have Valentina, we're all here for you."

She brought her head off my chest to look up into my face and smiled. "I know you are. I don't deserve a family like this. You all are so caring and compassionate. You're so good to me, I just don't deserve any of it." She said shaking her blond curls.

I smiled down at her. "Yes you do. You're an amazing woman, Chloe King. You deserve to be loved and you definitely deserve to be happy."

She smiled softly. "Thank you." She rested her head back on my chest again.

We stayed there for a few moments, just enjoying the silent peace of each other's presence, enjoying the intimacy and closeness of this moment.

Then Chloe finally spoke up. "And I almost forgot. There is one more huge thing I forgot to tell you. I can't believe I forgot this earlier."

I nodded, letting her know I was prepared for whatever it was she was about to dish out at me.

"That night, what you heard… I didn't, you didn't give me the chance I needed to explain. You heard me say that I _thought_ I was in love with Brian. But that wasn't true. It wasn't then and it definitely isn't now. I wanted to be human, I was holding on to my old life as a human. I wasn't completely accepting my life as a Mai. I was in love with the idea of being with Brian. Being human again. I was wanting that a lot. But when I was talking to my mom, the one thing I didn't voice to her, the one thing you didn't get to hear, was that I had already made my decision. Reality and reason had dawned on me earlier that day. I was not in love with Brian or the idea of being with him. I was in love with _you_. I chose _you_, Alek. It's always been you. I knew you were the one for me ever since you pinned me to the wall at school. I never wanted to admit it until it was too late but I do care about you. You're the only one for me, Alek Petrov. You always will be."

We never once broke eye contact through her whole monologue. Our eyes bore into each other's and I saw so many emotions fly across her bright blue eyes.

Fear, sadness, happiness, but mostly it was love. And I knew I was returning that same love in my own eyes.

I loved Chloe King. She was everything to me. All I wanted to do was pull her face to mine and kiss her until she couldn't breathe.

I smiled down at her.

"And you're the only one for _me_, Chloe King."

She grinned from ear to ear. I couldn't hole myself back anymore.

I cupped her face with both of my hands and pulled her face to mine. Our lips met and an explosion of color went off in my head. Fireworks. Just like the first time I had kissed her on her front steps. Apparently, she felt the same thing as me because she quickly deepened the kiss and pushed me back on the couch, running her hands up my shirt as I slid both of my hands to her waist.

We finally broke apart, chuckling. We both sat up and snuggled on the couch for a bit longer before deciding it was time to go to bed by 2 am. As we walked down the hallway, hand in hand, we stopped outside Chloe's bedroom door.

She smiled up at me.

I gave her a questioning look. "What?" I whispered, not wanting to wake Jasmine across the hall.

She giggled silently and looked up into my eyes. "We belong together."

And with that, she pecked me on the lips.

"Yes, we do." I chuckled and winked.

"Goodnight, Alek Petrov." She whispered as she opened her door and began shutting it slowly.

I walked backwards down the hall, smiling. "Goodnight, Miss Chloe King."

She giggled quietly as she shut the door.

I exhaled heavily and pivoted down the hallway. I walked into my room, shut the door behind me and smiled. Really smiled for the first time in three years. I stripped down to my boxers and climbed in bed.

That night, my dreams were filled of me and Chloe on a beach, her playing in the waves and laughing. I slept the best I had ever slept in my entire life.

**Jasmine POV**

I had been asleep for a good hour or so but I woke up to hearing music. It sounded like… ending credits to _She's The Man_? I tried going back to sleep but an interesting conversation caught my interest.

"_I want to talk about… everything._ _About why I left, about what I put all of you through, about…us?" _I heard Chloe say.

I smiled to myself. _Finally,_ I thought.

I decided not to eavesdrop. If Chloe wanted to tell me about their conversation, she would. It was none of my business. I needed to sleep anyway.

I slowly drifted back to sleep, thinking about how Chloe and Alek would interact from now on. I thought about my mom, imagining her face when she came home to find Alek and Chloe an item. It wouldn't surprise her. I mean, we all knew they had feelings for each other…

That was my last thought before I was swallowed by the darkness.

**SUPER long, I know… but I had to fit it all in. I realize it was all in Alek's and Jasmine's POV but the next one will be in Chloe's POV, don't worry. It just meant a lot to me that the whole revelations conversation be in Alek's POV. I felt it would be good to have his emotional reactions/responses/thoughts to Chloe's words. And I had to throw in some Jasmine in there too. :P Please R&R! It's such an encouragement to hear ideas from you guys! :D Thanks so much for the support!**

** -Em**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. First, I want to give a shout out to babybluecat247. Your reviews have been so inspiring and SUCH an encouragement for me to keep going with this story. I cannot wait for you to update your story. For all of my readers, I HIGHLY recommend reading "The Nine Lives of Chalek." It's an awesome story and I love it. It's Chalek, I mean, come on. So again, I just wanted to say thank you to you! :D**

**As promised, this is going to be Chloe POV for the most part, I think… Hopefully it will be so I can make up for all of the Alek POV in the last chapter. **

**I hope you guys like this chapter! Please R&R! Even if you're a guest, your opinion matters to me! Please let me know what you think and give suggestions! :) Thanks so much guys!**

**CHAPTER 5**

**Chloe POV**

I woke up the next morning feeling completely refreshed. That was the best sleep I had gotten in three years. I had dreamt of Alek and I, somewhere far away from all this madness. Away from it all, without a care in the world. A small tear escaped my eyes when I woke up and realized it was just a dream…Alek wasn't laying next to me in bed.

I was surprisingly cold under the many blankets piled on me. I slowly got up and checked the clock on the nightstand which read 7:30.

Wow, I had gotten a little over 5 hours of sleep and I felt like I could take on the world. But that was how it felt to be in love. I could do anything as long as I had Alek by my side.

I quietly opened my door and crept down the hall to Alek's room. I slowly peeked inside his room to see a sleeping and shirtless Alek sprawled across his bed on his stomach.

I crept silently into the room and tip toed my way to his bed. I laid down on top of the covers, propped up on my elbow. I brushed a strand of hair away from his eyes to see his face better.

I smiled. He looked so peaceful when he slept. He was in one word, beautiful. He slept so soundly. I wondered if he had dreamt about me last night like I had him.

As if he had heard my thoughts, he shifted sleepily and whispered, "Chloe."

For a second, I thought I had woken him up, but then I heard his heartbeat. It was slow and relaxed, just like his breathing.

So he was dreaming about me… I chuckled silently at him. He was adorable.

I traced his broad shoulders with my left hand. His skin was so smooth. I had never seen him shirtless and just his back alone was amazingly toned. I could only imagine what his chest and abs looked like…

I was pulled out of my thoughts by a rustling noise. I quickly realized that it was Alek turning over onto his back. I sighed in relief, he wasn't awake yet. I did get a good look at his abs though. Wow… If the absolutely perfect and faultless abs existed, Alek was the proud owner of said abs.

I smiled and laid down resting my head on his chest gently. I didn't want to wake him up but I wanted to be close to him. I needed to be close to him after last night.

My mind went to Valentina. She'd be home in a few days. I was a bit worried about her reaction to me and Alek finally being together. I wondered if she knew there were feelings between me and him. I'm sure she knew there were feelings from his end but I wasn't entirely sure if she could tell I returned those feelings.

I chewed the inside of m bottom lip as I thought. If I was being completely honest with myself, I was really scared about her reaction. I mean, this wasn't just two Mai being in love. This was the Uniter and her _Protector_ we were talking about. This probably wasn't something that the Mai were anticipating happening.**(A/N foreshadowing here ;P)**

I pushed those thoughts away. I wanted to enjoy the time I had alone with Alek, especially getting to be physically close to him. I closed my eyes, listened to his heartbeat and his breathing, let them calm me.

We stayed there for a few minutes but it seemed like an eternity. Finally I heard a change in his heartbeat. I opened my eyes and looked up at him to find him smiling down at me.

"Morning." He said in a very hoarse British accent.

"Good morning. How'd you sleep? I sat up and smirked at him.

He looked at me as if he were missing something. "Just fine…why do you ask?"

"Oh, just curious." I answered innocently.

"Chloe King. What are you not telling me?" His eyebrow cocked.

I laughed. "What'd you dream about this morning?"

His eyes grew at least twice their normal size. He knew I knew something about his dream. He tried to cover it by smirking.

"What did you imagine this time? Maybe _you_ were the one dreaming about me dreaming about _you_. Are you sure you were awake when you thought you heard something?"

I just rolled my eyes at him and shook my head, getting up off the bed. "Whatever, Alek. I'm going to get dressed."

"Chloe." Alek called just as I was reaching for the door handle.

"Yeah?" I wasn't upset or annoyed. Well, maybe slightly annoyed. This was Alek after all and he hadn't changed at all since I had left. He was still the cocky jocko I fell in love with. But that meant that he still ignited a fire inside me and brought out all my fight.

"I was just teasing. You know that right?" He looked concerned. He didn't want an argument, especially after everything that happened last night; I could see it all over his face.

I laughed. "Yes, I know. I'm fine. You're being you, and I'm glad you are because then I probably wouldn't love you if you weren't you anymore." I winked.

He smiled, threw the covers off, and walked towards me in nothing but his boxers. He looked me dead in the eye. "I love you, Chloe."

I smiled a small smile up at him then I wrapped my arms around him before he could kiss me. I didn't want to kiss him with morning breath.

He was so warm…and safe. Alek's arms were the one place I'd want to be when I was in trouble. Just to be close to him. I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent. He smelled _amazing_.

He pulled away slowly and moved in for a kiss, but I put a finger on his lips to stop him.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing," I blushed, embarrassed by my reason for not wanting to kiss him yet. "I just don't want to kiss you right this second."

He looked utterly confused. "Didn't I just tell you I loved you? And you love me. So… why don't you want to kiss me?"

I looked at my feet in embarrassment. "I don't want you to kiss me before I brush my teeth." I said in a tiny voice.

Alek didn't make a sound for a long time then I finally gave in and looked up. He had his signature smirk on his face with his eyebrows raised.

"Really, Chlo? You're worried about morning breath?" He shook his head and smiled.

Before I could say anything in response, his mouth covered mine. In that kiss I felt everything I had last night and then some. Passion, lust, desire, love... I felt everything Alek was feeling in that instant. He began to deepen the kiss and when I started to back away, he gently yet firmly cupped the nape of my neck and held me there. After a while, I started running out of breath and apparently Alek was too. We finally broke apart, breathing hard. He rested his hands on my hips while I interlocked my fingers around his neck. He opened his eyes to look straight into mine.

His chocolate brown eyes were the most gorgeous eyes I'd ever seen. They were especially gorgeous in the morning when the sunlight danced across the dark chocolate circles that were his eyes.

"See? That wasn't that bad was it?" He chuckled.

I smiled back at him. "No, it wasn't. It was perfect."

We released each other and I went to get ready for the day while Alek headed for a shower in the other bathroom.

I passed Jasmine's room on the way back to mine. I noticed she was up.

I knocked on the half-open door. "Morning."

She was sitting on her bed. When I spoke, she looked up from her phone.

"Hey." She smiled.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked her.

"Pretty good. I did have a little interruption but other than that it was fine." There was something in her eyes when she said that. Like she knew something…

I cocked my head to the side. "Jaz… What is it?"

She looked like she was about to explode. She pursed her lips several times while she thought.

"Oh I can't take it anymore, Chloe. I thought I was going to be able to keep it inside but I can't! It's too… huge!" She got up and began pacing.

I was so lost. "What are you talking about, Jaz?"

She sighed impatiently, like I was supposed to have telepathic abilities or something, and sat on the bed with me. "Last night."

That was all she said. I raised my eyebrows for her to continue.

"Last night," She went on, careful to keep her voice low enough that Alek couldn't hear. "I woke up just in time to hear you say that you wanted to talk to Alek."

Realization flooded through my mind. She knew. I blushed and smiled. "Yeah…" Was all I could say.

She gaped at me. "And…?"

"And what?" I asked.

Her jaw dropped. "I need details, Chloe! You can't just leave it at that. This is my cousin we're talking about. He was always there for me and super protective after the whole Zane thing. Now it's my turn to have his back in the love department. I was planning on letting you tell me when, and if, you wanted to but I just couldn't wait any longer. I heard that little snippet last night and I just did a mental happy dance," She laughed. "We've been waiting for you guys to get together for forever. We were getting tired of seeing you guys apart." She smirked. Even if they weren't related by blood, their smirks were identical.

I laughed at her and gave her the scoop on everything that we talked about last night.

"So you guys are together." She finally said.

"Yeah, I guess." I smiled at the idea. Alek Petrov was finally my _boyfriend_.

Jasmine smiled back at me, she knew exactly what I was thinking. She leaned across the bed towards me and wrapped me in a hug.

"I'm so happy for you guys." I could hear the emotion in her voice.

"Jaz.." I leaned back to see her eyes filled with tears. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" She smiled through her tears. "I am _so_ happy for you and for Alek. You have no idea… I've wanted to see him back to his old self for so long, Chloe. You are the only one who could do that and now you're here. You guys are together, finally. I just… I can't even describe what I'm feeling. Joy, happiness, love… I love you, Chloe. You're like my own sister. No, you _are_ my sister."

I just stared at her during all of this, taking in everything. I smiled softly. "You're mine, too."

She chuckled, then her face turned completely serious. "But being my sister comes with responsibilities. If you hurt him, I'll kill you. And if he hurts you, he'll get the same thing."

I knew she wasn't seriously going to take one of my lives or kill Alek for real, but my claws instinctively came out and I immediately balled them into fists.

I chuckled to cover. "Alright, Jaz. I get it."

I got up to go to my room and get dressed, for real this time. "I'm gonna go get dressed. See you in a bit."

"Okay." She smiled.

I finally got back to my room, grabbed my clothes out of my suitcase, and made a bee line for the shower. It felt so great to get the nighttime grossness off of my skin and out of my hair.

I got out, got dressed and headed to the kitchen. I hadn't realized how hungry I had become since I had woken up.

I walked in to find Alek fully clothed this time, scrambling eggs at the stove. I noticed a plate piled with bacon on the counter as I walked to Alek. I walked up behind him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and laid my head in between his shoulder blades.

He finished scrambling the eggs and I reluctantly let go of him. We grabbed three plates, filled our two, and walked to the kitchen table with Jasmine's empty one.

We sat and began eating in silence. There wasn't a need to say anything. We had done enough talking. We both just wanted to enjoy each others' company.

We made eye contact just as I shoveled a huge bite of eggs into my mouth.

I froze. "Wha?" I asked, my words muffled by the food in my mouth.

He just laughed at me.

Once I swallowed I joined in.

He laid his hand open on the table to me and I took it, smiling back at him. I could only hope he knew just how _much_ I loved him. I could see the love in his eyes.

We finished eating with one hand each, leaving our hands entwined on the tabletop.

When Jasmine came in and began loading her plate up, we hardly noticed that she had said good morning.

**I'm so sorry it's been so long since I updated! I've been soooo busy with school and homework and work so it's been crazy. And I apologize that this chapter is so long. I couldn't find a good place to stop it and I had a lot I wanted to fit into this chapter. I also had a slow stream of creative juices the past few days so it's been a slowly written chapter. Again, so sorry to take so long. Hope you like it!**

**Please R&R! I want to know what everyone thinks!**

** -Em**


	6. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Hey guys! So sorry it's been forever since I've updated! I have been so swamped with work, school, and homework I've hardly had any time for anything. Also, inspiration has been running a little low.**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE**

**Since my inspiration is a bit low and because I'm pretty busy, I'm going to be co-writing this story from now on with babybluecat247. For the next chapter, which will hopefully be up by Friday, we'll be working on that one together. Then we'll probably each of us be writing every other chapter or maybe a mix of both. Not sure yet. We'll be sure to "sign" our names at the bottom of every chapter so you know who wrote which chapter. **

**If you have any ideas about what should happen with the story, with the characters, whatever, PM or review. I am very happy when I hear from my readers!**

**I, personally, hate doing AN's because they throw the numbering off and it bugs me, but I realized I needed to because it had been a really long time since you'd all heard from me.**

**We'll be getting the next chapter up soon, promise! If any of you are on edge or anxious about wanting to know what's gonna happen next, I hope this gives you a bit of an explanation about where we are with the story and why I haven't updated. Don't worry, I didn't run off and leave you hanging. :)**

**Again, I'm really sorry I haven't updated sooner. The main reason is because my inspiration has been super low lately.**

**But anyway, just wait for the next chapter. Should only be a few more days! :D**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! As promised, here's the next chapter. And this is a co-written chapter so it would be wonderful if we got reviews on this chapter especially! Please R&R, follow/favorite, all that jazz. Hope you like it! Happy Reading!**

** -Em**

**Chloe POV**

All three of us were standing at the base of the escalator in the airport, waiting for Valentina to come down to collect her luggage.

It had been a great three days since that special breakfast. Alek and I went out to a club Friday night. I did feel pretty guilty though because Jaz had stayed home alone while we had gone out and had a blast. On Saturday, we all just stayed home, pigged out and watched movies. Sunday was a day at the park for all three of us. I knew I had missed their company while I was away, but I hadn't realized just how badly I had been in need of my family to be near me. Their conversation and their lives were so crucial in my life. I didn't even want to think about leaving them again. I knew I never would.

I had good reason to hope that Jaz wouldn't be alone forever. I had caught her texting a mystery someone the past few days. Whenever I asked about it, she just dismissed it as "…someone that was inquiring about the Uniter being home." I didn't believe her one bit; she was typically a pretty good liar but not with this. I knew she was talking to somebody, and finding out who that somebody was was going to become my next mission.

That was Friday night. It was now Monday morning. Too early in the morning to be at the airport.

"You awake?" I heard Alek's deep British accent in my ear, his breath tickling my neck.

I smiled and turned to him. "Yeah barely," I chuckled. He put one hand on my waist. "I'm glad I get to see Valentina again. It's been too long. I wish I would have come home sooner."

"Yeah, well, you're here now," Jasmine jumped in before Alek had a chance to respond. "That's all that matters."

We heard Valentina's flight number and that the passengers were on their way to the luggage carousel over the loudspeaker. A few minutes later, a swarm of people came down the escalator and made their way to the carousel. Jasmine, which was standing a bit away from me and Alek, had to come back to us before she was swept away by the crowd. Several minutes passed but there was no sign of Valentina. She hadn't come down the escalator with the majority of the other passengers from her flight.

Jasmine was pacing in a short line back and forth in front of me and Alek, looking worried. Alek's face went into panic mode and he began running his hands through his hair.

I was trying to keep a level head between the two of them. If neither of them were going to at least try to remain calm, then that left me to do the job.

"Maybe she had a seat in the far back. She could be on her way." When that didn't seem to ease Jaz's or Alek's panicked demeanors, it hit me and I wondered why I hadn't thought of it in the first place.

"Jaz, call her. Ask her where she is." Jaz looked up from the floor and stopped her pacing immediately.

"Duh." She said rolling her eyes, probably wondering why she hadn't thought of that.

But before Jaz could even get to her contacts in her phone, she was receiving a phone call.

It was Valentina.

Jaz put the phone to her ear. "Mom," She sighed in relief. "Where are you? We've been waiting for..."

Jasmine's voice faded away and a look of shock and utmost fear came onto her face. I furrowed my brows and Alek took a step towards his cousin. Her eyes immediately started tearing up.

"Who are you?" She asked, fear and anger rising in her voice.

I stepped forward and looked at Alek. Now it was my turn to be panicking. What was going on? Where was Valentina? Who had her? What had happened? How had she been—

My thoughts stopped short as realization flooded my mind. I shut my eyes so the tears would fall down my face.

The Order.

They were back. It really was never going to end. My family had been safe while I was gone and now that I was back, they were attacking even stronger than before.

I opened my eyes as Jaz started talking to the person on the other end of the line.

"What have you done with my mother?" She spit into the phone.

Those words were what changed Alek's vibe from panicked to protector mode. He tensed and went to stand right next to Jasmine, wrapping one arm around her shoulders.

I was unsure of what to do. I had one hand over my mouth in shock and I seemed to be frozen in place. I slowly found my legs and reached for Alek's free hand. He looked down at me and I saw pain and loss that was so deep it made me want to burst into tears right there. I hated seeing Alek in pain. It killed me. And it wasn't just Alek in pain, it was all of us.

Valentina had acted like my mother ever since my adoptive mom had been killed. She had always been there for me, reprimanded me when I needed it(which was quite often), she protected me, and she loved me like I was her own. I loved her so much and the thought of losing her was terrible just for me. I couldn't even imagine how Alek and Jasmine were feeling right now.

I could tell by the way Alek was leaning in towards Jaz that he was listening to the conversation taking place. I thought about listening in, but decided against it. I didn't know if I could handle it.

When I came home, I was hoping for a bit of a relaxer before the Order started up on their attacks on my lives again. Apparently, I wasn't going to get that.

**(End of Em's part)**

**(Sam)**

"They have her! I don't know what to do; they told me that she isn't in San Francisco." Jaz toldus. I could honestly say that I have no idea what I can do.

"Jasmine, did they tell you where she was?" Alek asked.

"Alek I just told you, they said she wasn't in San Francisco." Jaz snapped.

"Yeah I heard you, but I didn't know if they said anything else." Alek snapped back.

"Guys! Let's just call the other prides and have them put a search party out for her." I said, I guess I did have some idea of what we could do.

"Good idea Chloe," Alek said. "We can go to the penthouse and get the numbers. I know where they are in Valentina's office." We nodded our head and we were off, the ride back to the penthouse was long. The airport was at least 20 minutes away from our place. "Chloe, when did you start being the voice of reason in any type of situation?" Alek teased.

"Really you want to do this now? You want to tease me about being irrational when you were about to get into a fight with Jaz, in a crowded airport." I said. Apparently, even when the person that has been taking care of him since he was around 14 he can still act like the regular old Alek. I missed him a lot when I was gone. We got into the elevator and it felt like it took forever. Jasmine was really nervous which for her is really odd. She almost never acts nervous. She is so good. At hiding her true feelings sometime I find it a little unnerving. Jasmine and Alek went into Valentina's office and took a long time to come back out. I was starting to get antsy. "Hey are you guys okay in there? You are taking a long time."

"That my love, is because there are more than 200 prides around the world. There are prides everywhere. From Paris to Portland Maine, a lot of large cities have prides. Some places that are small are joined with the closest city with a pride." Alek said as he walked out of the office and walked up to the couch. "Jasmine is calling about 10 more prides, and then the prides that we don't have the numbers for are going to be contacted by the people that we already have contacted."

"Okay…. So what do you think we can do to help Valentina while the other prides are out looking for her?" I asked.

"We should go to New York to help the pride there." What…. Oh Mai Basset.

**Hey guys so, I hoped you like the first co-write chapter. I certainly do! I am going to have a great time helping out with this story and I hope that you will review. I would like to know if I can do anything to make my writing better for this story. I will gladly take criticism!**

**-Sam**


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